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Hey, I Know A Way To Get Windows XP After June 30

PC World has an article that explains ways to get ahold of Microsoft's operating system after June 30. The idea itself seems weird: why would it be a problem to obtain a piece of software you need to pay for anyway? It's not like a new model of a car is replacing an old one, the changes in technology and production process making it nearly impossible for the manufacturer to keep producing the old model. We're talking about a CD - and this CD you can't legally get anymore, unless you take advantage of one of the many loopholes in Microsoft's licensing/support system.

But I know of a way to obtain any version of any software you can imagine: piracy. Once again, pirated software has the competitive advantage of not only being free, but also being the only option in certain cases.

I'm not suggesting that you should go and pirate any software. But I cannot fail to notice that again, the software industry actually helps piracy, forcing their customers to choose between doing something they don't want to do (upgrade to Vista; and trust me, many users scorn the idea) or simply get a pirated version of Windows XP. Thus, whenever you see those assertions that piracy is the root of all evil and the demise of civilization, just remember that a portion of users had no real choice but to pirate software.

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